Co-operative economics
Co-operative economics is a field of economics, socialist economics, Co-operative studies, and political economy, which is concerned with co-operatives. Notable theoreticians who have contributed to the field include Charles Gide,Gide, Charles; as translated from French by the Co-operative Reference Library, Dublin, "Consumers' Co-Operative Societies", Manchester: The Co-Operative Union Limited, 1921 Robert Owen,Owen, Robert, "A New View of Society" (originally published in 1813/1814), in Gartrell, V.A. (ed.), "Report to the County of Lanark / A New View of Society", Ringwood: Penguin Books, 1970. Beatrice and Sydney Webb,Potter, Beatrice, "The Co-operative Movement in Great Britain", London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1891. J.T.W. Mitchell, Paul Lambart,Lambert, Paul; as translated by Létarges, Joseph; and Flanagan, D.; “Studies in the Social Philosophy of Co-operation”, (originally published March 1959), Manchester: Co-operative Union, Ltd., 1963. Race Mathews,Mathews, Race, "Building the society of equals : worker co-operatives and the A.L.P.", Melbourne: Victorian Fabian Society, 1983. David Griffiths,Charles, Graeme, and Griffiths, David, “The Co-operative Formation Decision: Discussing the Co-operative Option”, Frankston: Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd., 2003 and 2004 and G.D.H. Cole.Cole, G.D.H., “The British Co-operative Movement in a Socialist Society: A Report for the Fabian Society”, London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1951., and Cole, G.D.H., “A Century of Co-operation”, Oxford: George Allen & Unwin for The Co-operative Union Ltd., 1944. Historical co-operative movements, such as the Rochdale Pioneers, have also contributed to the field. Co-operative federalism versus co-operative individualism A major historical debate in co-operative economics has been between co-operative federalism and co-operative individualism. In an Owenite village of co-operation or a commune, the residents would be both the producers and consumers of its products. However, for a Co-operative, the producers and consumers of its products become two different groups of people, and thus, there are two different sets of people who could be defined as its 'users'. As a result, we can define two different modes of co-operative organisation: consumers' cooperative, in which the consumers of a co-operative's goods and services are defined as its users (including food co-operatives, credit unions, etc.), and producer co-operatives, in which the producers of a co-operatives goods and services are defined as its users (which includes worker co-operative, agricultural producer co-operatives, etc.). This in turn led to a debate between those who support Consumers' Co-operatives (known as the Co-operative Federalists) and those who favor Producers Co-operatives (pejoratively labelled ‘Individualist' Co-operativists by the FederalistsLewis, p. 244. ).This analysis is based on a discussion by Gide, Charles; as translated from French by the Co-operative Reference Library, Dublin, "Consumers' CoOperative Societies", Manchester: The Cooperative Union Limited, 1921, pp. 192-203. Co-operative Federalism Co-operative Federalism is the school of thought favouring consumer co-operative societies. Historically, its proponents have included JTW Mitchell and Charles Gide, as well as Paul Lambart and Beatrice Webb. The co-operative federalists argue that consumers should form co-operative wholesale societies (Co-operative Federations in which all members are co-operators, the best historical example of which being the English CWS), and that these co-operative wholesale societies should undertake purchasing farms or factories. They argue that profits (or surpluses) from these co-operative wholesale societies should be paid as dividends to the member co-operators, rather than to their workers.This analysis is based on a discussion by Gide, Charles, pp. 192-203. Co-operative Individualism Co-operative Individualism is the school of thought favouring workers' co-operative societies. The most notable proponents of this latter being, in Britain, the Christian Socialists, and later writers like Joseph Reeves, putting this forth as a path to State Socialism.Reeves, Joseph, “A Century of Rochdale Cooperation 1844-1944”, London: Lawrence & Wishart, 1944. Where the Co-operative Federalists argue for federations in which consumer co-operators federate, and receive the monetary dividends, rather, in co-operative wholesale societies the profits (or surpluses) would be paid as dividends to their workers.This analysis is based on a discussion by Gide, Charles, pp. 192-203. The Mondragón Co-operatives are an economic model commonly cited by Co-operative Individualists, and a lot of the Co-operative Individualist literature deals with these societies. Please note that these two schools of thought are not necessarily in binary opposition a priori, and that hybrids between the two positions are possible.This analysis is based on a discussion by Gide, Charles, pp. 192-203. Co-operative Commonwealth In some Co-operative economics literature, the aim is the achievement of a Co-operative Commonwealth; a society based on cooperative and socialist principles. Co-operative economists - Federalist, Individualist, and otherwise - have presented the extension of their economic model to its natural limits as a goal. References Further reading *[http://fax.libs.uga.edu/HD3271xG453/ Consumers' Co-operative Societies], by Charles Gide, 1922 *[http://fax.libs.uga.edu/HD2951xC776/ Co-operation 1921-1947], published monthly by The Co-operative League of America *[http://fax.libs.uga.edu/HD3486xH7/ The History of Co-operation], by George Jacob Holyoake, 1908 *[http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/coopp.html Cooperative Peace], by James Peter Warbasse, 1950 *[http://fax.libs.uga.edu/HD2965xW37/ Problems Of Cooperation], by James Peter Warbasse, 1941 *[http://www.historians.org/projects/GIRoundtable/Coops/Coops_TOC.htm Why Co-ops? What Are They? How Do They Work?] A pamphlet from the G.I. Roundtable series by Joseph G. Knapp, 1944 *[http://www.stoel.com/webfiles/lawofcooperatives.pdf Law of Cooperatives], by Legal Firm Stoel Rives, Seattle Category:Cooperatives Category:Business models